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Ten people were killed and up to 50 injured when a passenger train bound for Melbourne collided with a truck at a level crossing in Victoria's north-west today.
The accident happened about 1.40pm (3.40pm NZT) about 6km north of Kerang, on the Murray Valley Highway, Victoria Police said.
It is believed the accident happened about 40 minutes after the V/Line passenger train left Swan Hill at 1pm.
The train was due to arrive at Southern Cross station in Melbourne at 5.09pm today.
A police spokeswoman said ten people were confirmed dead.
"There are 12 with serious injuries and we've got around 40 people who are wounded," the spokeswoman said.
"The truck driver of the semi-trailer has been taken to the Mildura hospital in a serious condition," she said.
A Rural Ambulance Service spokeswoman said a teenager was among those critically injured in the accident and had been airlifted to Melbourne for treatment.
"There's three (other) patients being loaded on to a fixed wing aircraft and they're going through to Melbourne ... they're the more critically injured," she said.
Those seriously hurt had suffered head, abdominal and chest injuries.
"Then we have a further 10 walking wounded, they're fairly minor such as lacerations, bruises, that sort of thing."
The spokeswoman said the truck driver had survived the accident and had been taken to hospital in a serious condition.
Witness and passenger Sue Fyffe told Sky News of the mangled carriages: "You just wonder how anybody got out."
Ms Fyffe said she and other passengers helped the injured.
"People were sitting in seats with glass all over them.
"All we could hear was people screaming and crying and moaning -- it was just awful, devastating.
"It was just shocking, it was awful, there was just glass, and elderly ladies sitting there, I helped some of the elderly who had lots of cuts, some of them had broken bones."
Ms Fyffe said the carriage behind hers caught the worst of the impact.
"The truck just didn't stop, he tried. I don't know whether he didn't see the train until the last minute, but he tried to divert and hit the carriage behind me and we just felt it.
"It just felt as if the whole train was going to derail.
"The carriage behind mine is just half gone; there's a big gaping hole in the carriage behind.
"You could just see smoke, you could see the dirt from the truck where he had tried to stop.
"People were screaming, ... the initial shock was just everyone screaming because they thought the train was going to go over.
"The carriage that was behind mine is virtually half demolished, half of the carriage is actually just all mangled, pushed in."
Helicopters and fixed wing aircraft flew to Kerang to airlift the most badly injured to Melbourne.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) and State Emergency Service (SES) also sent crews to the accident site.
"There are some very seriously injured," Kerang District Hospital chief Robert Jarman told Sky News.
Mr Jarman said his 25-bed facility was expecting to treat up to half of the injured.
"We have called in all nursing staff that are available. We have five local doctors who are also here on site ready to receive the injured," Mr Jarman told Sky News.
V/Line spokeswoman Ursula McGinness (McGinness) said the level crossing where the accident happened was fitted with warning bells and lights.
"It was a protected crossing with lights and bells," Ms McGinness told AAP.
"Our understanding is that they were working at the time, but a lot of that will come out in an investigation."
Ms McGinness said the train driver and engineer had survived the crash.
"Our staff are believed to be uninjured and helping police at the site," Ms McGinness said.
"They're working very closely at the site with emergency services," she said.
She said V/Line had sent its own investigators to the site.
Premier Steve Bracks said it was one of the state's worst rail accidents and the state would offer support to victims.
"To have six people who die and possibly more is an horrific accident," he told reporters, before news emerged that the death toll had risen to ten.
"Certainly my heart goes out to the families and friends of those people who are commuting and travelling,...innocent people on a train, just going about their business, who must've been through an horrific experience."
Edmund Carew, a spokesman for Victoria's shadow transport minister Terry Mulder, said the crossing had flashing lights but no boom gates.
It is unknown at this stage if the lights were working when the accident happened.
V/Line had set up an emergency hotline to help relatives and friends of those on the train, Ms McGinness said.
"We now that there would be lots of concerned people with friends and family (on the train) and we're asking them to call 1800 800 120 so that we can give them as much information about the situation."
V/Line staff would also be on hand at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne today when the train would have been due in to help relatives who may have been unaware of the crash.
She said train services between Bendigo and Melbourne were not affected by the accident, but buses were replacing trains between Kerang and Swan Hill until the crash site had been cleared.
She said that V/Line was unsure how long the line would be closed between Swan Hill and Kerang.
Concerned relatives can call V/Line on Australian phone number 1800 800 120.
- AAP
